India’s struggle for independence gave birth to heroes, thinkers, visionaries, and patriots. Mr. Ghanshyam Das Birla, founder of the Aditya Birla Group, was one such luminary son of India. A capitalist who was also an avowed nationalist, Mr. G.D. Birla boldly challenged the economic stranglehold of the British and helped make India self-reliant in a number of key industries. He was also a prodigious philanthropist. Nearly 40 years after his death, the institutions he built continue to touch millions of lives daily.
Mr. G.D. Birla was born in 1894 into a family that supported India’s small-scale cotton and jute sectors. Driven by a strong nationalist sentiment, the young entrepreneur became a confidante of Mahatma Gandhi. Soon, he started putting his personal wealth to use in supporting India’s freedom movement. Among his unforgettable legacies to the nation are his many contributions to developing a swadeshi economic roadmap – first as a legislator; then as a member of the Round Table Conferences; a co-architect of the so-called ‘Bombay Plan’; a founder of industry bodies like FICCI, and so on.
As a philanthropist and institution-builder, Mr. G.D. Birla helped set up schools, colleges, hospitals, temples and planetariums across India. Aligarh Muslim University and Banaras Hindu University are among the educational institutions that he supported.
In newly independent India, he established the critical factories that would deliver much-needed industrial inputs for a growing nation – from viscose staple fibres and textiles, to infrastructural necessities such as aluminium, cement and chemicals. Mr. G.D. Birla’s vision evolved to become the foundation of a global business conglomerate — one of the few originating from India in pre-independence times.
As we celebrate Mr. G.D. Birla’s birth anniversary, we look back at some of the key events and milestones from his life and work.
Mr. G.D. Birla – A life in the service of the nation
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1857
The Birla family's business roots trace back over 165 years to Pilani, Rajasthan.
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1894
Ghanshyam Das Birla, the third son of Mr. Baldeodasji Birla, was born in Pilani.
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1919
At the age of 25, Mr. G.D. Birla sets up a jute mill, the Birla Jute Manufacturing Co. Ltd., in Calcutta (today's Kolkata), marking the family's first foray into manufacturing.
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1920
Filled with nationalistic fervour and influenced by his association with Mahatma Gandhi, Mr. G.D. Birla joined the Non-Cooperation Movement.
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1921
Just 27 years old, he became a member of the Bengal legislative assembly.
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1925
Mr. G.D. Birla and his associates established the Kolkata-based Indian Chamber of Commerce, an institution closely associated with India's freedom movement.
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1926
Along with like-minded supporters, he established the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), India's largest and oldest apex business organisation.
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1929
Driven by his conviction in the transformative power of good education, Mr. G.D. Birla established a primary school in Rajasthan under the Birla Education Trust.
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1945
He co-authored the Bombay Plan, a 15-year economic plan for India drawn up by some of India's most eminent industrialists and technocrats of the time.
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1948
He contributed funds to set up the Birla Vishwakarma Mahavidyalaya College in Vallabh Vidyanagar in Gujarat.
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1957
For his role in shaping India's destiny, Mr. G.D. Birla was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian honour.
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1964
To spark India's scientific temper, Mr. Birla launched the Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences (BITS Pilani), known today as one of India's finest higher education institutes.
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1983
On June 11, Mr. G.D. Birla passed away at age 89.
Mr. G.D Birla's demise marked the end of an era. He is remembered today as much for his social vision and philanthropy as for his business successes. He had once remarked: "We are driven by some force and you do things which you had never planned." His pioneering spirit and legacy of caring and giving is deeply ingrained in the culture and philosophy of the Aditya Birla Group.